ND go top

Northern Districts are four from five and top of the national Twenty20 cricket competition after easily beating Canterbury by eight wickets in a rain-affected match in Hamilton on Friday night.

Reduced to 18 overs an innings, none of the visiting Wizards really got a score batting first and their 138 for eight was never going to be enough, the Knights romping home in the 14th over.

Australian import David Warner topscored with 52 not out off 35 balls to guide ND home, making 142 for two, backed up by sometime Black Cap Daniel Flynn's 45 off 19 and star import Herschelle Gibbs's 34 off 23.

The Knights move up to take out top place on the HRV Cup table, level on points with Auckland but ahead on net run rate.

Saturday's match between the Aces and the winless Otago Volts at Colin Maiden Park was abandoned due to rain.

If the rain stays away, Auckland can call on the services of Black Caps Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Kyle Mills and the just-married Daryl Tuffey for Sunday's fixture with the Firebirds. Gareth Hopkins resumes the captaincy from Lou Vincent.